Steam-condenser.



PATENTED MAR. 21,1905.

A. H. HELANDER.

'STEAM CONDENSER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.2. 1904.

Q. N 22:4 .55 2 a: a; ml f WITNESSES UNITED STATES Patented March 21,1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

AXEL H. HELANDER, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO MESTA MACHINECOMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM-CONDENSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,614, dated. March21, 1905.

Application filed September 2, 1904. Serial No. 223.127.

T (LZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AXELH. I-IELANDER, of Pueblo, Pueblo county,Colorado, have invented a new and useful Steam-Condenser, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, ret'erencebeing hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is a vertical section of acondcnser embodying myapparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a part on a larger scale.Fig. 3 is a detail view of the float-valve. Fig. 4 is a horizontalsection of the condensing-chamber.

The purpose of my invention is to reduce to a minimum the quantity ofwater required for condensation of steam and other vapors. It isparticularly applicable to jet-condensers wherein the steam to becondensed is brought into actual contact with the water and the lib.-erated air and vapor are drawn away by an airpump or other exhauster.For agiven vacuum the quantity of water required for condensation willvary with the temperature of the water and the quantity of steam to becondensed. If too much water is used for condensation, power is wastedin pumping it.

The object of my invention is to provide devices whereby the condensermay be so regulated that for the quantity of steam to be condensed andfor the temperature of the water used for condensation the vacuumproduced by the condensation of the steam may be maintained at, ornearly at, the theoretical vacuum with the minimum quantity of water. Iattain these results with the apparatus illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which means are shown for decreasing the vacuum in the maincondensing vessel, heating the vapors drawn by the exhaust-pump from thecondenser, and thus expanding the vapors in volume when it is necessaryto restore to the condenser a counter-current, which for some reason hasbeen changed to a parallel current. This may be done in various ways,and I illustrate in the drawings the preferable means by which it may beaccomplished within the meaning of my invention.

In the drawings, 2 is the main condensingchamber.

3 is the pipe through which the exhauststeam to be condensed isintroduced thereinto.

4 is the pipe by which the cold water for efiecting the condensation isdelivered to the top of the condensing-chamber by a pump 5, drawing itssupply of cold water preferably from a tank or cold well 6, fed by apipe 7. The water as it enters the condensing-chamher is divided byperforated pans 8 9 l0 and falls through the condensing-chamber in amultitude of fine streams.

11 is a tail-pipe which discharges the water from the condensing-chamberinto a hot-well 12, overflowing at 13 to the sewer.

14 is a separating-chamber connected with the top of thecondensing-chamber 2 by a pipe 15 and having a tail-pipe 16, leading tothe well 12.

17 is a float-chamber connected with the bottom of the chamber 14 by apassage 18, connected also with the upper part of the chamber 14 by apipe 19 and connected with the stand-pipe 16 by a pipe 20. Thisfloatchamber has a pipe 21, connecting it with one end of a coil 22,arranged within a hot portion of the condensing-chamber 2, the other endof the coil being connected with the separating-chamber 14 by a passage22.

The float 23 has two Valves 24 and 25, controlling, respectively, ports26 and 27, the ports 27 connecting the suction-pipe 28 of the pump 29with the pipe 21 and the ports 26 connecting the pipe 28 with thefloatchamber and with the pipe 19, which opens thereinto.

An excessive vacuum in the chamber 2 will cause the water to accumulatein the chamber 14, whereupon the float 23 will rise, and the valves 24being moved thereby will first uncover the ports 27 and establishcommunication between the air-suction pipe 28 and chamber 14 by way ofthe coil 22 and pipe 21. The valve moving still further will close theports 26, and thereupon the direct communication of the colder vaporsfrom the chamber 14 to the air-pump will be shut off. Thus the currentis by-passed from the top of the chamber 2, and communication Will beestablished through the hottest part of the chamber before delivering itto the air-pump, so that the vapors which pass to the air-pump from thechamber 14 must first pass through the coil 22 and pipe 21, and beingheated in the coil, and thus increased in volume, their pressure willincrease. This Will have the eflect of decreasing the vacuum in thecondensing vessel 2. and water in large quantities will therefore ceaseto enter the chamber 14 from the pipe 15, and the condensation Will takeplace substantially in the vessel 2. This Will cause the float to fall,reversing the valves 24 and 25, bringing them to their originalpositions, thus first opening direct communication between the air-pump,suction-pipe 28, and separatingchamber 14 by reason of the valve 24opening the ports 26, and then shutting off the by-pass by reason of thevalve 25 closing the ports 27. Then and under normal conditionscondensation Will take place in the vessel 2. The noncondensable vaporsWill accumulate in the top of the same, whence they Will be extracted bythe air-pump through the separating-chamber 14. float-chamber 17, andpipe 28. Within the scope of my invention as defined in the claims otherchanges may be made by those skilled in the art, since I believe I amthe first to use means of any kind for regulating the condenser byincreasing the volume of the non-condensable vapors by subjecting themto a source of heat either in the condenser or in any otherheating-chamber heated by exhausted steam or otherwise. I thereforedesire to claim the same broadly.

I claim- 1. In a steam-condenser, the combination with an exhauster anda condensing vessel, of means for automatically regulating thecondensation by reheating the vapors supplied by the condensing vesseland thereby decreasing the vacuum in the condensing vessel;substantially as described.

2. A steam-condenser having a condensing vessel, an exhauster, aseparating-chamber and means controlled by the level of the Water in theseparating-chamber for shifting the path of the vapors from thecondensing vessel to or from a reheating device; substantially asdescribed.

3. A steam-condenser having a condensingchamber, a separating-chamber,an exhauster, passages extending to the exhauster respectively directlyfrom the separating-chamber and indirectly through a hot part of thecondensing-chamber, and means for diverting the connection of the pumpfrom one passage to the other; substantially as described.

4. A steam-condenser having a condensingchamber, a separating-chamber,an exhauster, and means whereby the vapors may be led to the exhausterfrom the separating-chamber through a reheating device; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

AXEL H. HELANDER. Witnesses:

CHAS. J. FLEIsoH, W. EDWARD BERG.

